Filamented Light (FLight) Biofabrication of Aligned Fibrillar Structures to Direct 3D Cell Organization Within Microgels

Controlling cellular organization in hydrogels is of great interest in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In the body, cell organization is regulated by aligned extracellular matrices, such as collagen fibers. However, generating patterned extracellular matrix fibers in hydrogels, such as microfabricated gels, is not easily accomplished. Here, filamented-light (FLight)-based 3D microfabrication is used to fabricate microgels with precise internal architecture to direct cellular organization. It is demonstrated that fibrillated rod-shaped microgels encapsulating C2C12 muscle cells promote highly aligned myotube formation, offering potential as mini-injectable muscle tissues for minimally invasive muscle loss therapies. Furthermore, photoreceptor cells encapsulated in rod-shaped microgels generated structures that mimicked the outer retina. Moreover, these microgels can be used as injectable scaffolds, both in vitro and in vivo, where they facilitate angiogenesis when conjugated with QK peptide. Overall, this technique can be used to generate microgels with precise internal architecture thus providing a potentially significant tool for engineering tissue-like structures.

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Publication Details

Journal
Small
Published
2025-05-10
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202500261
Citations
3
Primary Topic
3D Printing in Biomedical Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.02

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article

Filamented Light (FLight) Biofabrication of Aligned Fibrillar Structures to Direct 3D Cell Organization Within Microgels

Sheeja Aravindan, Akshat Joshi, Hossein Heidari, Ngan F. Huang et al.
3 citations
Small
3D Printing in Biomedical Research
2.02
article

Filamented Light (FLight) Biofabrication of Aligned Fibrillar Structures to Direct 3D Cell Organization Within Microgels

Sheeja Aravindan, Akshat Joshi, Hossein Heidari, Ngan F. Huang, Nafiseh Moghimi, Dhruv Sareen, Deepthi S. Rajendran Nair, Ali Khademhosseini, Biju B. Thomas, Vadim Jucaud, Arwin Aghamaleky‐Sarvestany, Chethikkattuveli Salih Abdul Rahim, Eiji Yoshihara, Meenakshi Kamaraj, Johnson V. John, Dolores Rodriguez‐Sanchez, Caroline Hu
article en
3 citations

Abstract

Controlling cellular organization in hydrogels is of great interest in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In the body, cell organization is regulated by aligned extracellular matrices, such as collagen fibers. However, generating patterned extracellular matrix fibers in hydrogels, such as microfabricated gels, is not easily accomplished. Here, filamented-light (FLight)-based 3D microfabrication is used to fabricate microgels with precise internal architecture to direct cellular organization. It is demonstrated that fibrillated rod-shaped microgels encapsulating C2C12 muscle cells promote highly aligned myotube formation, offering potential as mini-injectable muscle tissues for minimally invasive muscle loss therapies. Furthermore, photoreceptor cells encapsulated in rod-shaped microgels generated structures that mimicked the outer retina. Moreover, these microgels can be used as injectable scaffolds, both in vitro and in vivo, where they facilitate angiogenesis when conjugated with QK peptide. Overall, this technique can be used to generate microgels with precise internal architecture thus providing a potentially significant tool for engineering tissue-like structures.

SmallVol. 21(26)
University of Southern California (US), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (US), University of California, Los Angeles (US), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) (BR), VA Palo Alto Health Care System (US), UCLA Medical Center (US), Terasaki Foundation (US), Southern California Eye Institute (US), Harbor–UCLA Medical Center (US), University College London (GB), Stanford University (US)
BrightFocus Foundation, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Eye Institute, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Openalex Percentile: Top 14%
3D Printing in Biomedical Research
2.02
DOISourceOpenAlex
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